Coming soon: Sony Vision-S 02

Sony has unveiled an electric SUV prototype called the Vision-S 02 at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The brand has been testing a prototype of its previously revealed Vision-S 01 for some time now, as it gears up to join the automotive world. It may seem an unlikely match, but the music and gaming giant is also an expert in image sensors, which are needed for autonomous cars and safety features.
It also gives Sony cars the advantage of having brilliant built-in audio systems and being able to stream PlayStation games to the cars' occupants. As self-driving functions become more powerful and free up passenger time, features such as in-car gaming will become critical in buyer decisions.

Sony's entrance into the car market is not as far-fetched as it might have seemed a few years ago. Apple and Huawei are both busy building cars, while Google and Dyson invested billions trialling their own automotive products but ultimately struggled in an industry dominated by brands that have been manufacturing at mass global volumes for decades.
The whole idea of a legacy car business is now open to definition. Once upon a time, you needed a legacy of engineering expertise, but since the powertrains on offer have whittled down to one electric form of propulsion, a history of expertise in software and technology is rapidly becoming the most important factor in building a viable automotive business model that can scale up quickly. Here at Auto Trader towers, we like to think we forecasted this five years ago...